One of the considerations in selection of gas turbine engine for a particular application is the overall thermodynamic efficiency of the engine. For aircraft operators such as commercial airlines, thermodynamic efficiency is critical to operating the airline at a profit. Military operators of aircraft are likewise concerned about thermodynamic efficiency, since thermodynamic efficiency determines the effective range of a particular aircraft.
The thermodynamic efficiency of industrial gas turbines, such as those used to generate electricity, directly affects the cost of operation thereof. Lower thermodynamic efficiency results in higher costs to the consumer, and/or lower profits to the electric power industry. Therefore, there is an ongoing pursuit to increase the thermodynamic efficiency of gas turbine engines.
What is needed is a method of providing efficient energy management of a gas turbine engine to yield a significant increase in the overall thermodynamic efficiency thereof.